DALLAS, Texas, FEB. 2, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is an edited text of a conference given by Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, on the theme of “The Role of Mass Communications in Evangelization.”
The mass media and the new (Information and Communication Technologies) ICTs have a very important role in the communications mission of the Church. The preferred use of the term, social communications, serves to remind us that there is a communicative dimension to every aspect of Church life and that we must not think exclusively in terms of our relations with the mass media or the new emerging media. It remains true that the mass media -- traditional and new alike -- provides us with a privileged way of bringing our message to ever greater audiences and in a variety of different ways. The voice of the divine word must echo even through the radio, the information highway of the internet, the channels of “online” virtual circulation, CDs, DVDs, podcasts, etc. It must appear on all television and movie screens, in the press, and in cultural and social events.
This new communication has created its own specific and expressive grammar and, therefore, makes it necessary not only to be technically prepared, but also culturally prepared for this task. Those wishing to communicate effectively and fruitfully must be both technically competent and fully attentive to the culture of the environment within which they are operating. In the first place, it is important for the communicator or evangelist to know the general culture of his or her intended audience -- to know their cares and concerns, their fears and their hopes; in the second place, he or she must be familiar with the specific culture challenges presented by the new media environment where significant changes in patterns of media consumption have been brought about by the changes in technologies.
We are living through a time of profound change in the world of communications. Commentators often speak of a digital revolution to indicate the extraordinary developments in the technologies of communications we have witnessed over the last two decades -- computers are smaller, more powerful and more affordable, mobile telephony has connected people all over the world, satellites allow simultaneous global transmission of news and events and the Internet itself has created new possibilities for the communication of information, knowledge and learning. It would be a mistake, however, to see these changes as merely technological; they have also revolutionized the culture of communications. They have changed the ways people communicate, the ways they associate and form communities, the ways by which they learn about the world, the ways in which they engage with political and commercial organizations.
Commentators point out that “digital communication” is marked by multimediality (users of new media often are engaging simultaneously with different forms of media), inter-mediality (the convergence and integration of different types of media) and portability. Taken together these phenomena have transformed patterns of media use and consumption. Whereas in the past, we tended to see the reader, listener or watcher of media as a passive spectator of centrally generated content, it is clear that today we must understand the audience as more selectively and interactively engaging with a wider range of media. The logic of communications has been radically changed -- the focus on the media has been replaced by a concentration on the audience which is increasingly autonomous and deliberative in its consumption of media.
The new media undoubtedly offer the Church a greater opportunity to disseminate the Word of God more widely and more directly. It is possible, using the new technologies, to present the timeless message of God’s love for his people more attractively and in ways that may engage new audiences. We need to study and understand the new patterns of media use and how they affect the formation of public opinion. We need to understand better how our message is being heard and understood by different audiences. We have always, and rightly, been attentive to the content of our teaching; today we must be more attentive to our audience, or the multiple audiences we address, and understand their concerns and questions. We need to understand better, and take account of, the contexts and environments in which they will encounter the Word of God.
Pope Benedict entrusted the evangelization of the digital continent to young Catholics. This “digital continent” is a virtual one, with no physical dimensions but where almost one-third of all humans -- especially the young and children, but also common citizens, scientists, academics and businesspeople -- come together to seek information, to express their views and to grow in understanding. In this nowhere land of shared time and meanings, individuals encounter other individuals, communities, associations, and institutions. There they are re-interpreted by millions of people who recreate and transform the messages by giving them their own new meaning and by sharing them with others. God and religion are not excluded from this mediasphere; quite the opposite, both have a new social role in it, and are subject of debate in a kind of global “search for meaning.” The Church is part of this chorus, one voice among others, proclaiming the image of God which the Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the Gospel.
The Church is already well established on this continent. The Holy See, many Episcopal Conferences and Dioceses and significant numbers of parishes, religious orders and Catholic organization have Websites. Many bishops, priests, religious and lay people are present on the Web with blog sites, podcasts and video content. Others have developed Web sites that promote spirituality, justice, care of the environment and promotion of the value of life. There is even a social network developed specifically for Catholics, XT3.com, as well as many personal and institutional presences on the better-known social networks. The Church is present, but so far we are just at the beginning of a journey….
The commitment to reach out to others requires that we are willing to change in order to be more eloquent and more authentic witnesses to the faith that we proclaim. The evangelization of the media and by the media cannot happen without “metanoia” or conversion in our lives. The often quoted observation of Marshall McLuhan -- the medium is the message -- finds a renewed pertinence in this context. “For from the fullness of the heart, the mouth sings. A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness” (Matt 12, 34-35).
The conference was given Friday at a congress sponsored by the New Evangelization of America, in Dallas, Texas.